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About the Photographer

Liu, Gang

Chinese, b. 1983

Liu Gang grew up in a China when the country was transitioning into a global economic power, spurring the creation of a nouveau riche middle class. As the middle class emerged, so did a newfound interest in consumerism and the perceived Western idealized lifestyle. The newly minted bourgeoisie soon created a contemporary aesthetic in China based on Western ideals, influencing many aspects of Chinese life, such as the look of housing developments and advertisements

In his series, “Paper Dreams” (2008), Liu Gang explores the conflicting anxieties and desires generated through consumer culture in China today. He collects advertisements for the newly constructed luxury buildings and photographs the ads after folding and crumpling them into various forms. The alterations that Gang makes to the original advertisements reference the complex relationship between traditional Chinese culture and Western ideals.